NHS bungle left trainee West Midland GPs unable to practise

Fourteen trainee GPs in the West Midlands were suspended after an 'unacceptable' admin failure by NHS England, leaving them unable to work for weeks

by Alison Stacey

10:00, 30 Aug 2015Updated09:37, 1 Sep 2015

(Image: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire)

Fourteen trainee GPs in the West Midlands were suspended after an ‘unacceptable’ admin failure by NHS England, leaving them unable to work for weeks.

At a time when doctors’ surgeries are already stretched to the limit, practices were forces to cancel appointments as trainees were not legally allowed to treat patients, as they had not been registered on the Performers List.

The admin glitch also left GPs threatened with being thrown off the training programme as they had failed to clock up enough hours to pass the course.

The failure also saw 30 GPs in the Thames Valley area suspended for weeks, in what NHS England called a ‘rare’ event.

But Dr Richard Vautrey, GP deputy committee chairman at the British Medical Association said the incident had served to “compound the GP crisis”.

He said: “At a time when general practice is buckling under pressure from rising patient demand, falling resources and staff shortages, we need to ensure every potential new GP is given the best training opportunities possible so they can deliver first rate care to patients in the future.

“It is unacceptable that failures in routine processes are stopping doctors from being available to engage in training and treat patients. On a personal level, these doctors are being left in limbo by delays in their registration.

“This will mean their training could be extended and a potential delay in their qualification date, which only compounds the GP workforce crisis.”